Exclusive Distribution Agreement with US Quantum Dot Manufacturer Nanosys To Efficiently Meet the New Color Standard
NAGASE & Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Kenji Asakura), with an investment of approximately USD10M, has entered into a worldwide exclusive distribution agreement with Nanosys Inc. (California, US), a developer and manufacturer of Quantum Dots, electronics materials used for purposes such as optical wavelength conversion in liquid-crystal displays. Quantum Dots are unique nanoscale (a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter) semiconductor crystals, extremely small at only two to ten nanometers in size, which are used to increase color performance by converting optical wavelengths when used in optical films for displays as well as ink and resist materials.
As a new technology which can efficiently reach the new color range standard for 4K and 8K broadcasts (BT.2020*), Quantum Dots are already being used in the LCD televisions of some manufacturers. (*BT is an abbreviation of Broadcasting Service Television. The current standard, BT.709, calls for reproduction of approximately 75% of the colors that exist in the natural world, while the BT.2020 standard calls for reproduction of 99.9% of colors.)
Nanosys was the first company in the world to successfully mass produce Quantum Dots. With over 470 patents (including those pending) on everything from materials to manufacturing technology and device manufacturing processes, they have established themselves as the leading company in the industry. As even higher precision color fidelity will be sought after in the display industry as broadcast technology improves in the future, it is expected that their share in the industry will continue to grow further.
With this exclusive distribution agreement, NAGASE has acquired the global sales rights for Nanosys’ Quantum Dots. “For the time being, we will primarily sell them to optical film, ink, and resist manufacturers in Asia. In the future, Quantum Dots are expected to have applications in the field of agriculture by controlling the wavelengths of solar and LED light, as well as applications in the field of healthcare, and the NAGASE Group will use its large customer network to develop this business. NAGASE is working on expanding its business, with a focus on the fields of electronics and life & healthcare. By providing products and services with high added value, we will contribute to building a sustainable world where people live with peace of mind.”
